The Final Shape’s Pale Heart destination plays on a new kind of Destiny nostalgia

The Pale Coronary heart — the brand new location in Future 2: The Ultimate Form, which is positioned inside The Traveler — is extra like a Future-themed funhouse than a very new vacation spot. And whereas that may sound like a boring and even disappointing approach to finish the primary Future saga, it’s really one of the crucial putting and fascinating locations within the franchise’s 10-year historical past.

On a go to to Bungie HQ, I used to be capable of discover The Pale Coronary heart of The Traveler and find out about how precisely the studio is utilizing Future nostalgia to gas the tip of the Gentle and Darkness saga. It’s a dangerous transfer to lean so closely on the previous, a indisputable fact that Bungie’s Catarina Macedo, challenge lead for Future 2 expansions, and Ben Wommack, Future 2’s fight space lead, are properly conscious of.

“The Pale Coronary heart particularly is formed by the reminiscences of whoever is there,” mentioned Macedo. That is why there’s a very “Earthy” really feel to the beginning of The Pale Coronary heart, and why the unique Future’s Tower performs such a giant function within the safer half of the house, because it’s influenced by the participant character’s reminiscences. On the similar time, the opposite half of the vacation spot is managed by The Witness, which conjures up a darker, creepier, and extra summary setting.

Picture: Bungie

After chatting with Macedo and Wommack, I spent a number of hours simply roaming by way of The Pale Coronary heart, soaking it in, and taking part in with the brand new Prismatic subclass. And whereas I used to be initially fearful about it feeling an excessive amount of like different locations I’ve visited earlier than in Future, Bungie seems to have caught the touchdown right here — no less than in every thing I’ve seen up to now. The Pale Coronary heart strikes a really promising steadiness between pulling on my heartstrings as a longtime Future participant and giving me a daily dose of one thing new.

Each time I walked by way of an area I acknowledged, the setting shifted to one thing barely completely different or off earlier than the acquainted space had an opportunity to overstay its welcome. For instance, there’s the Tree of Silver Wings from Season of Arrivals inside The Pale Coronary heart, however this model has been smashed along with Hive structure from The Witch Queen. If you pair that along with the completely distinctive setting across the tree, the world feels each new and acquainted.

It’s an efficient trick — giving the mind a dose of “I acknowledge that” dopamine with a chaser of surrealism — one which I used to be always impressed by throughout my time on the occasion. It’s a bit exhausting to know how efficient that is while you simply learn it on the web page or see it in a fast gameplay video; I do know I used to be skeptical earlier than experiencing it myself. However the way in which Bungie has twisted its world right here finally ends up being very efficient.

Picture: Bungie

The complete journey left me feeling fairly optimistic about The Ultimate Form enlargement as an entire, however The Pale Coronary heart genuinely wowed me in a number of locations. Trying as much as see The Speaker’s bizarre, mysterious machine lined in foliage subsequent to 2 building-sized Ghosts pressured me to cease and simply take within the surroundings for a second. And that’s not one thing I do a lot in video games that I’ve already spent 1000’s of hours in.

For longtime gamers like myself, it made me really feel a bit like a child in a sweet retailer, to make use of a really drained simile. I used to be always stopping to go, “Oh wow, that’s this previous location, however the other way up!” or “I acknowledge this constructing, however how?” which was at all times adopted by delight after I lastly positioned the reminiscence. However the extra I explored, the extra the nostalgia turned much less vital to the general expertise, and I discovered myself appreciating the entire package deal much more.

I’m sure there will likely be some Future gamers on the market who will likely be livid that Bungie reused a lot previous artwork to create The Pale Coronary heart. However having skilled it, I believe that’s the flawed means to take a look at it. Positive, I’ve been to this junkyard within the Cosmodrome earlier than — it’s the place I used to be first resurrected — however I don’t recall all of the timber being formed like fingers again within the first Future. And that sounds so small, I do know, however while you stroll onto the deserted freeway and also you see the hand timber rising up round The Witness’ large fortress, the consolation of nostalgia is simply sufficient to maintain you pushing additional into the unknown.

Disclosure: This text is predicated on a Future 2: The Ultimate Form preview occasion held at Bungie’s headquarters in Bellevue, Washington, from Could 14–17. Bungie offered gamerjive’s journey and lodging for the occasion. You’ll find further details about gamerjive’s ethics coverage right here.